A Maiden Fair
by DanniiHey
Summary: Episode fix for Game of Thrones 8x04 because I cannot allow D&D to butcher Jamie and Brienne like this. Set "T" for now, could potentially be bumped to "M" just to be safe.
1. A Maiden Fair - Brienne

_**Author's note:**_

_Due to the fact that D&D _are_ incapable writers who do not seem to think that hiring female writers to write female characters could be beneficial for the success of storytelling and the overall feel to season 8 of Game of Thrones, the _fandom_ is in desperate need for a fix._

_I want y'all to be able to go to a place that'll help do that and hopefully you'll find stories that are something you'd wanted to see on the big screen instead of the mess we're seeing right now which includes character _assassinations_ and the slow and steady or sometimes sudden crumble of hard-earned character development. It has me raging. It had me furious. There is a reason male writers should not be responsible to write female (strong) characters - you just suck at it and you know. So here is my attempt to save some of the things that D&D badly screwed up._

_And yes, D&D, I did sign a petition to redo a lot of _season_ eight. I stopped watching after 8x04 and quite frankly: Y'all suck_!

* * *

**Chapter 1 - A Maiden Fair**

As she slowly ascended the staircase towards her chambers, Brienne of Tarth still felt her cheeks burning in what she felt like must surely be a deep shade of crimson red. She could not fully tell whether it was the sudden necessity to acknowledge the fact that their little drinking game had unearthed the truth about her non-existing love life, or whether the consumption of a larger amount of wine had done this to her. She was quite certain it had to be a combination of both. Every movement created pain, although she would have to admit that her armor had protected her from most of the injuries that were theoretically possible to have sustained. Others had. Others died. She ... had not. She was alive and well apart from a few dark bruises, a very dominant one right above her collarbone, one around her left eye and several smaller ones on both of her legs. She had been lucky. Lucky to have had Ser Jamie and Podrick by her side when fighting the dead.

'Jamie...'

She huffed.

No, not this again. She could not allow herself to let her mind wander to him. Again. It wasn't proper and it wasn't something she was extraordinarily proud of.

'The stupid drinking game of this stupid imp...' she thought and huffed once again as she slowly reached the end of the staircase, carefully avoiding sudden movements that could potentially cause her pain. She had had worse, essentially, but the fight against an army of undead had not only drained her physical but also her mental strength. She was glad that she didn't have to kill anyone she had known. At least she could not remember, which was probably for the best if you thought about it.

Tyrion's game had forced her to leave the festivities early, the noises echoing though the empty corridors and staircases of the castle, telling stories of survival, friendship, and heroic actions, whispering the promises of spring and new beginnings. It would have been easy just to take a swift sip from the cup and pretend as nothing had ever happened but Jamie's presence at the table had made that ineffective; he saw right through her, just as she'd cut through his bullshit. She knew him better than most, she knew different things about him.

* * *

_"Are you certain that we can trust Jamie, Lady Brienne? He is a Lannister, after all," Sansa Stark asked as the meeting adjourned and she had retreated to her chambers, Brienne always by her side._

_"I am," Brienne said, truthfully._

_"Well, he is a Lannister and a Lannister always pays his price," Sansa stated bitterly, remembering her miserable times in King's Landing._

_"He's come to defend the living and I believe him when he says that he intends to keep that promise, Lady Sansa," Brienne added, looking Sansa directly into her eyes, her unwavering will to defend Jamie's honor apparent in her expression, her body language and the slight small grind of her jaw._

_"I suppose he did leave his sister to come here," Sansa trailed off, her eyes sparkling._

_"That ... too," Brienne answered, unsure what to think, how to react and how to bring Jamie's actions into line with everything she knew about him. "He's exceptionally loyal, Mylady, and I truly believe that he intends to keep his promise."_

_"Bran seems to agree with you," Sansa said, jerking her chin towards the general direction of the weird wood tree on the outskirts of Winterfell._

_"I'm glad," Brienne smiled, "but then I should have known that he would have checked on him. After all, he had waited the entire day in the same spot and when I asked him whether he'd be more comfortable next to a fire place he told me that he was waiting for an old friend ... he just didn't know when exactly he'd be here..."  
_

_"What Bran does and how he does it is a mystery to me," Sansa sighed, "but whatever he is seeing is important for the battles ahead ... the long night is upon us and we need every man we can get. Even if it's a Lannister."_

_"Well, I for one am glad he's here..."_

_"Are you?" Sansa asked with a smirk, causing Brienne to blush furiously._

_"May I go back to my chamber, Mylady? I want to make sure that my armor is fully functional and ready to be taken into battle. I might ask Gendry for some additional modifications, still" Brienne hastily said and Sansa decided not to press this matter further. Lady Brienne of Tarth deserved to not answer her question ... for now._

_"You may," the redhead dismissed the taller woman and Brienne slowly excused herself from the room, cursing her body to portray her emotions ever so openly in front of Lady Sansa.  
_

* * *

She had kept the fire going and upon entering her chamber she immediately got rid of her leather jacket and threw it carelessly on a stool next to her bed. The Northerners had adviced her early on to always keep a fire going in order for the room not to cool down. They had told her that it would be much harder to -re-heat a cold room than keeping a steady temperature in her chamber. She had listened to the advice and returned to the remnants of a formally bigger fire. Immediately, she checked her stash of wood and threw some smaller branches into the fireplace. They should suffice in order for the room to stay at a reasonable temperature throughout the entire night. Apart from that, drinking all that wine had also made a difference.

She could tell that the wine had made her a little tipsy. She normally wasn't one to engage in any drinking game but Tyrion's game had sounded fun, at first that is.

* * *

_"Wrong, wrong, wrong! Drink!" an excited Brienne shouted and pointed at Tyrion who greedily took a big gulp from his small chalice. Tyrion's laughter was contagious and she had found herself enjoying the company of the three men more than she could have imagined mere hours ago, heck, mere hours ago she had thought she would die with Jamie and Podrick by her side, crushed by thousands of undead here they all were, alive and well, drinking wine and playing utterly silly drinking games. Alas ...  
_

_"You were married ... before Sansa," Brienne said and Tyrion hummed loudly. Jamie pointed his finger at him, grinned from ear to ear and said,"drink" which his brother did. His chalice must have been almost empty judging from the amount of wine he had consumed with these two questions alone. _

_Jamie turned toward Brienne, a silly smile on his face, his happiness apparent. Now, with anxiety a life-threatening danger gone from their minds in this glorious celebratory moment, Jamie looked much younger, joyous and carefree. Brienne liked what she saw.  
_

_'No, do not even,' she scolded herself and went on to ask yet another question._

_"You're drinking wine but you prefer ale," she shouted, grinning in triumph._

_"NOOOOO," Tyrion shouted, laughing devilishly. She had gotten it wrong. Brienne took a sip from her own chalice and as she did she could feel the alcohol clouding her senses. She grinned like a drunken idiot and Jamie smiled, looking expectantly at his brother. What would he ask next? Brienne looked at Tyrion, too, an amused grin still spread on her face. She wasn't afraid what he might ask ... the atmosphere around them was laden with sheer joy and triumph and it was hard to not feel exstatic about the smallest things.  
_

_Brienne looked from Tyrion to Jamie and back to Tyrion, awaiting his query. Tyrion looked at the blonde woman, his expression suddenly stern._

_"You're a virgin", Tyrion stated, matter-of-factly. Brienne's face fell. Eyes wide she shot a quick look at Jamie before looking down onto the table. Next to her, Pordrick tried to ease her despair by taking a huge sip from his chalice. He, too, could sense her discomfort. As could Jamie. He looked at Brienne but she avoided his amused, yet intrigued gaze._

_"That's a statement about the present..." Jamie tried to interfere but Tyrion wasn't having it._

_"At no point in the past up until this very moment have you slept with a man," Tyrion paused, "... or a woman."_

_Brienne's eyes widened even further and after another quick glance toward Jamie she slowly got up, looking down at the table. With on quick jerk she stood up, rising to her full glory. With all strengh she could muster she suppressed her emotions and said, her teeth clashing together: "I have to piss."_

_Tyrion felt her furious glance upon him but pretended not to notice. Jamie, however, did. Before he could say anything, another voice interrupted the awkward situation. _

_"WE DID IT. We faced those icy fucks. Looked right into their blue eyes and here we are. And now ... which one of you cowards shit in your pants? Ha Ha Ha Ha!" Tormund Giantsbane roared._

_"Please pardon me for a moment," Brienne pressed out before hastily retreating to her chamber. Tormund motioned to follow her but was stopped by one swift move from Jamie who got up, put his hands on Tormund's shoulders and shot him a warning glance before follwing the blonde out of the hall, leaving a distraught Tormund behind. Brienne glanced over her shoulder and saw Jamie which made her quicken her steps as she realized he was following her out of the hall._

_'No. No. No.'_

_Silently, Tyrion filled Tormund's chalice with wine and left him be._

_Podrick just smiled, the alcohol definitely impairing his senses._

_Heartbreak and triumph were strongly intertwined in this winter's night at Winterfell.  
_

* * *

There was a thud at her door. Not a real knock, just a thud. Just as if the person that tried knocking either wasn't trying too hard or was seriously intoxicated. Brienne pondered whether or not to check who it was. She had lost sight of Jamie after she had left the Great Hall and it had been several minutes since she had arrived at her chamber. Surely it must be some intoxicated reveler that had knocked on the wrong door.

Right?

She opened the door.

"You didn't drink!"


	2. A Maiden Fair - Brienne & Jamie

**Chapter 2 - A Maiden Fair in Wintry Air**

_Previously..._

_There was a thud at her door. Not a real knock, just a thud. Just as if the person that tried knocking either wasn't trying too hard or was seriously intoxicated. Brienne pondered whether or not to check who it was. She had lost sight of Jamie after she had left the Great Hall and it had been several minutes since she had arrived at her chamber. Surely it must be some intoxicated reveler that had knocked on the wrong door._

_Right?_

_She opened the door._

_"You didn't drink!"  
_

* * *

He moved past her before she had a chance to react or respond. Stunned, she watched as he placed two drinking chalices and a fully filled carafe on the table. Some of the Dornish wine spilled over as he filled both chalices, staining the dark wood of the table and Brienne could not help but notice that it seemed as if Jamie created a mess wherever he went. Actions had consequences. Hence, the wine was now slowly dripping onto the floor. Brienne stifled a snort.

"I didn't drink?" she asked, closing the door quietly. For what it was worth, Brienne had abandoned the celebrations after the embarrassing revelation regarding her maidenhood. Had she actually asked him in? She didn't think she had. What was he doing in her chamber, anyway?

"In the game," Jamie said.

"I _drank_", Brienne insisted.

"In the _game_!" Jamie repeated impatiently. "This is Dornish."

Brienne went from the door to the table, incredulous at his intrusion. He seemed to be absolutely certain that he should be in her chamber with Dornish wine in the middle of the night. She _wasn't_. Brienne had no idea how she suddenly found herself in a situation she had not expected. At all. Wanted, somehow, maybe yes, but expected to become a reality? Rather _not_. His presence made her anxious. She sensed, that for one reason or the other Jamie was not as confident as he pretended to be which confused her. Her confusion must have been apparent on her face because Jamie shot her a quick amused look.

"This is not the game. This is _ONLY_ drinking," Brienne stated, matter-of-factly. Jamie turned to fully face her and shoved one of the chalices into her hand.

"Suit yourself," he insisted. As he looked at her expectantly, her confusion grew. What was he doing here? Why were they doing this? What exactly _were_ they doing? Unable to resist his intent stare, she slowly raised the chalice to her mouth, looking at Jamie intently before she drank.

There. She said it. Or not said it. She confirmed Tyrion's statement one way or the other. There was no denying, especially not with Jamie.

Jamie gulped.

"You keep it warm enough in here," he breathed out, moving past her and as he walked he was impatiently tugging on his brown leather jacket. His golden hand made it harder to take any clothes off without assistance and Jamie got impatient as soon as he tried to wiggle the right arm of the leather jacket off his prosthetic. Brienne never took her eyes off him, overcome by a sudden shame that was battling with other emotions for supremacy. Shame. Guilt. Anxiety. Excitement. Hope. Fear. Hope. Love. Shame? She set down her chalice, afraid her shaking hands would not be able to hold it for much longer. She turned around and watched him wrestle with his garment. What in the name of the Seven was he _doing_?

"It's the first thing I learned when I came to the North. Keep your fire going. Every time you leave the room, put more wood on..." her voice trailed off.

"That's very diligent. Very responsible," he snarkily remarked before throwing his jacket carelessly onto her bed.

"_Piss off_," she said, annoyed at his nonchalance. There he was, Jamie Lannister, annoying her every bone. Just as they always happened to be with each other, bouncing insults and comments off one another. It was natural, it felt like the right thing to do and quite frankly, most of the time his arrogant demeanor simply asked for it.

"You know ... the first thing I learned in the North ... I hate the _fucking_ North!" Jamie gritted out when he stood to face Brienne. His face _did_ betray Jamie; there were more emotions to his statement than he tried to let on.

"It grows on you," Brienne stated softly. He moved past her to completely fill his chalice with Dornish wine. It was an astute observation, yet, Brienne did understand the underlying double-meaning to it. It could be about the North, also ... it could be about her. So what if ...?

"I don't want things growing on me!"

_Oh. Well then._

Brienne tentatively moved back to be able to face him, once he had finished pouring his drink. Situations like the one she currently found herself in made her uncomfortable. She had little to no idea how to be alone with a man, let alone someone she deeply cared about, in her chamber in the middle of the night after several hours of excessive drinking and feasting, celebrating the fact that they - despite it being ever so barely - had survived the long night. If anything, this was the time to be joyous and happy ... right?

"How about Tormund Giantsbane," Jamie unexpectedly said before facing her, adding: "Has he _grown_ on you?"

Jaimie looked at Brienne, a wordless challenge in his glance. At the same time as wanting to hear her answer, he also didn't, Brienne realized. Suddenly emboldened by the wine, the warmth and the need for a witty comeback, Brienne rolled her eyes at Jamie when he added, smirking from behind the chalice:

"He was very _sad_ when you left."

_Did he just ...?_

No. Surely that wasn't what he had intended to mean, he could not possibly...

Brienne decided to blow caution in the wind.

Fuck this.

"You sound quite jealous..." she said with as much affirmation as she could possibly muster.

He nodded.

Again.

Again.

"I do, don't I?" Jamie answered, incredulous at his own realization. Had he just realized? What in all Seven Kingdoms was going on? As he looked into her eyes, his gaze slowly wandered over her face, mapping every little detail of it, as if he was seeing it for the first time. After several small moments that somehow felt like an eternity, he looked away, averting her intent gaze. Brienne was looking for clues; clues he was unable to provide. He, himself, had no idea what was going on.

Did he ...?

Did _she_ ...?

What will she say ...?

What will he do ...?

"It's _bloody_ hot in here!" Jamie pressed out, fighting the collar of his shirt. Opening the laces was not easy with one hand and he had to use his teeth to open the knot. It didn't really work.

"Oh move aside," Brienne said, impatiently yanked his left hand away and tried to help. Once she had moved close enough to help him undo the small laces of his shirt, he started to fumble with her shirt laces. At first, she didn't realize what he was doing as she was focussed on the task ahead. Then she did.

"What are you _DOING_?" Brienne said, looking into Jamie's eyes.

"Taking your shirt off..." he whispered hoarsely and continued to untie the laces of her shirt. His glance flicked to her mouth and quickly after that it went back to his activity.

_What?_

Why would he do that? What was going on? Was he doing what she ... thought ... he was doing?

What was _going on_?

Jamie stopped and looked into her eyes, seeking permission. Brienne knew, that, should she say so, he'd stop, collect his jacket and leave her chamber immediately. He was asking her to tell him what to do. Should he stop? Should he continue? After all, he knew that she had no experience with men. She had explained to him how that had never been anything she could have imagined after having been tormented by vicious attacks on her looks and height. She was the Maiden of Tarth, after all.

It was her decision.

He meant it.

She knew it.

What was she going to do?

Still looking deeply into his eyes, she slowly stopped untying his shirt and moved both of her hands to her own shirt, untying the garment and loosening the collar and then she looked down, away from his curious look, to finish the shirt laces so that it opened ever so slightly at the front. She paused, allowing Jamie to eventually change his mind but all he did was look at her. Quizzically. Patiently. Waiting. Inviting her to set a tempo, defining a limit, telling him what she wanted him to do. He could not help but have his gaze wander down her stomach but quickly went back up when Brienne's actions demanded his attention. She all but shoved her hands under the hem of his shirt, yanking the fabric out of his pants. Jamie shot her a quick confused look, surprised by her bold actions but regained his focus when she slipped the shirt above his head and carefully over the golden hand. The shirt slid to the ground. Jamie caught her gaze, carefully observing her reaction to their rapidly changing relationship but his attention was otherwise occupied when she slowly started to take her own shirt off, sliding it off her shoulders only to also have it fall to the ground with a small _thud_.

"I've never slept with a knight before..." Jamie said, realizing that not only had he never done this but also had he never slept with anyone but ...

"I've never slept with _anyone_ before..."

_Well_...

"Then you have to drink. Those are the rules..."

"I _told_ you ..." Brienne managed to get out before Jamie captured her lips with a crushing kiss that had her limbs go numb and her insides fluttering as if a thousand butterflies were moving their tiny wings against her. Jamie touched her left arm, from her hand to her shoulder, before he caressed her left cheek and kissed her even harder.

"You told me ... _what_?" Jamie muttered between kisses.

"That ... this ... was ... _only_ ... drinking," she responded, breathing heavily, desperate to calm her racing heart.

"I believe," Jamie smirked, "we are past that part."

* * *

_**tbc.**_


End file.
